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Even educated fleas do it
I have returned from Los Angeles, where I spent a lovely long weekend with Miss Friday (when she was not otherwise engaged with her livelihood) in her luxurious borrowed mission-style beach side house. For those playing along at home, I have not finished my investigations but it seems less and less likely that I could find a living arrangement that would make it profitable for me to move.
However, the weekend was good for my writing bug, as it crawled in my ear and inspired me to work on three separate projects, including the FLtD fanfic that has been percolating for over two years (since a little before the last time we played). I'm so far pleased with it, and present the first three paragraphs (already worked over two or three times) for the reader's pleasure.
As Onyx began the ascent of the latest of the mountains on the path to his destination, the sun shone harshly through the branches of a thorn tree next to the road. A crow dropped noisily and gracelessly into the branches of the tree and began peremptorily grooming its feathers. Onyx had abandoned the dusty robes of the ‘old beggar man’ disguise a few hours after leaving Dante Yuasa’s lands, replacing them with finely made but nondescript linen hakama and jacket of olive green. He had felt certain that there was nobody left to meet him who had the slightest chance of recognizing a dead man on his way to meet his dead wife.
The bird cocked its head and a glassy eye shone on him; he began to reconsider that thought, the stare sending the creepings of uncertainty along his spine. Then the crow turned its gaze to his ghostly companion, her gauzy grey clothing flowing in the unfelt breeze. This was the final straw, and Onyx bent down to snatch a rock from the roadside. As he straightened and hefted it, the crow flapped vigorously and voiced its annoyance in several loud croaks as it took wing. It reeled off away from the tree, away from the road, and out of sight over the shoulder of the mountain.
He threw the rock anyway, trying to relieve the nagging feeling that he’d been foolied by the old bird into overreaction. He didn’t much like the feeling, and since it still clung to him, he visibly tried to shake it off. He felt a chill of worry touch him despite the heat of the afternoon. Soon, he told himself, soon it would be all over. Then the light that was steadily growing in the capital city, the pillar of flame reaching up into the very heavens, could claim him and he could die in the satisfaction of a job well done.
Yes, for those of you who played the game, it's true. Onyx wasn't dead, he was just stunned. Beautiful plumage, though!
I don't know whether it was the lack of access to the 'net (which pissed me off several times as I tried to do fact-checking missions with dead tree tek) or the beach air, but I actually wrote.
I checked out more CDs from the library and have been listening to them over the past fortnight. I'd forgotten just how cool Elvis Costello was, and have listened to Spooky Girlfriend several times over. I finally listened to Sleater-Kinney and know now the answer to that burning question "What would Rush sound like if they were an indie girl band?"
And after listening to the 'De-Lovely' soundtrack, I am strongly possessed of the need to hear Joan Jett performing Let's Do It. Anybody able to help me out on that?
Looking at going grocery shopping finally, by Friday at the latest. Yay! Hungry!
Uh. That covers everything I can immediately think of. Except I'm pleased to hear the news on the courts' decisions on the Enemy Combatant rulings, and I'm sorry I missed 'Tell Dick Cheney to Fuck Off Day'. Why doesn't anybody tell me about these holidays?
However, the weekend was good for my writing bug, as it crawled in my ear and inspired me to work on three separate projects, including the FLtD fanfic that has been percolating for over two years (since a little before the last time we played). I'm so far pleased with it, and present the first three paragraphs (already worked over two or three times) for the reader's pleasure.
As Onyx began the ascent of the latest of the mountains on the path to his destination, the sun shone harshly through the branches of a thorn tree next to the road. A crow dropped noisily and gracelessly into the branches of the tree and began peremptorily grooming its feathers. Onyx had abandoned the dusty robes of the ‘old beggar man’ disguise a few hours after leaving Dante Yuasa’s lands, replacing them with finely made but nondescript linen hakama and jacket of olive green. He had felt certain that there was nobody left to meet him who had the slightest chance of recognizing a dead man on his way to meet his dead wife.
The bird cocked its head and a glassy eye shone on him; he began to reconsider that thought, the stare sending the creepings of uncertainty along his spine. Then the crow turned its gaze to his ghostly companion, her gauzy grey clothing flowing in the unfelt breeze. This was the final straw, and Onyx bent down to snatch a rock from the roadside. As he straightened and hefted it, the crow flapped vigorously and voiced its annoyance in several loud croaks as it took wing. It reeled off away from the tree, away from the road, and out of sight over the shoulder of the mountain.
He threw the rock anyway, trying to relieve the nagging feeling that he’d been foolied by the old bird into overreaction. He didn’t much like the feeling, and since it still clung to him, he visibly tried to shake it off. He felt a chill of worry touch him despite the heat of the afternoon. Soon, he told himself, soon it would be all over. Then the light that was steadily growing in the capital city, the pillar of flame reaching up into the very heavens, could claim him and he could die in the satisfaction of a job well done.
Yes, for those of you who played the game, it's true. Onyx wasn't dead, he was just stunned. Beautiful plumage, though!
I don't know whether it was the lack of access to the 'net (which pissed me off several times as I tried to do fact-checking missions with dead tree tek) or the beach air, but I actually wrote.
I checked out more CDs from the library and have been listening to them over the past fortnight. I'd forgotten just how cool Elvis Costello was, and have listened to Spooky Girlfriend several times over. I finally listened to Sleater-Kinney and know now the answer to that burning question "What would Rush sound like if they were an indie girl band?"
And after listening to the 'De-Lovely' soundtrack, I am strongly possessed of the need to hear Joan Jett performing Let's Do It. Anybody able to help me out on that?
Looking at going grocery shopping finally, by Friday at the latest. Yay! Hungry!
Uh. That covers everything I can immediately think of. Except I'm pleased to hear the news on the courts' decisions on the Enemy Combatant rulings, and I'm sorry I missed 'Tell Dick Cheney to Fuck Off Day'. Why doesn't anybody tell me about these holidays?